Exploring different experience modalities of tennis electronic line calling

Abstract

New technologies have made sports more entertaining, safe, and fair in recent years. This study focuses on electronic line calling, a technology that is revolutionizing tennis.

A set of sensors and complex algorithms enable umpires and players to determine with a certain degree of precision whether the ball has bounced inside or outside the court. Numerous technological solutions have been developed in this ambit, but little research has been conducted on the interaction between players and the system during a match. The research follows the Research trough Design approach and the Double-Diamond design process. I collaborated with the company PlayReplay AB, that has developed an electronic judging system. At first, I used research methods such as interviews with experts to understand the user needs and narrow down the problem. Secondly, I explored different modalities and iterated on several user interfaces to generate a final design proposal for PlayReplay's system.

The findings demonstrate that the player experience with an electronic line call system depends on various elements. First, the system must adhere to certain requirements like discretion, punctuality, and reliability, otherwise will feel unreliable or disturbing. Second, the interaction modalities should comply with some specifics: the output should be easily identifiable but not obtrusive, and the input must be easy to use but also well incorporated into the game.